The present invention relates to an improved packet of material for absorbing, and treating a immobilizing liquid after the liquid comes in contact therewith.
By way of background, the liquid absorbing and immobilizing character of sodium polyacrylate is known. A small amount of this material will absorb and immobilize a relatively large quantity of an aqueous solution by forming a gel-like material when it reacts therewith. In copending applications Ser. No. 863,722, filed May 16, 1986, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,600, dated June 7, 1988, and Ser. No. 877,095, filed June 20, 1986, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,069, dated May 31, 1988, a packet is disclosed which contains sodium polyacrylate in a degradable starch paper envelope. When the aqueous solution comes into contact with the envelope, it degrades it, and the sodium polyacrylate absorbs and immobilizes the solution. The packet is generally packaged within a box on the outside of a container of liquid, and if the container breaks, the envelope of the packet dissolves and the material therein absorbs and immobilizes the liquid, thereby preventing a mess which would otherwise be made. However, the sodium polyacrylate functioned only to absorb and immobilize the aqueous solution, it did not specifically treat the solution to prevent other detrimental effects. In this respect, the aqueous solution could have had bacteria, fungi, microbes, viruses, etc. therein which were not treated and incapacitated during the absorbing and immobilizing action.